Survey: 65% of Workers Reject AI Use, Citing Environmental and Moral Concerns

Jakarta, VIVA – The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly widespread in the workplace. However, behind this trend, many workers are still hesitant and even deliberately avoid using AI technology for various reasons.

A recent survey by CNBC in collaboration with SurveyMonkey reveals that almost two-thirds of workers have avoided using AI due to concerns about morality, privacy, the environment, and the accuracy of the technology.

The survey, conducted from April 17-21, 2026, involved 3,597 respondents in the United States, consisting of 3,365 workers and 232 students. The results show that 65% of workers admit to having avoided using AI at least once due to various concerns related to the technology.

Environmental concerns are a major issue, especially among students. As many as 36% of students say they avoid AI because of its environmental impact, compared to 19% of workers.

“AI data centers have a significant impact on water usage, land use, energy consumption, and the generation of large amounts of heat waste,” as quoted from CNBC, Friday, May 15, 2026.

In addition, 36% of students also admit to avoiding AI for moral and ethical reasons. This figure is higher than the 28% of workers who cited the same reason.

The founder of the AI policy organization Encode AI, Sneha Revanur, said that some young people are concerned that AI can steal human work and reduce creativity. “There is a lot of completely reasonable resistance to the use of AI,” said Revanur.

She believes that some young people are also concerned that AI will disrupt human critical thinking skills. “They are concerned about what it means for critical thinking and creativity, or see it as an attack on the human side,” she said.

In everyday practice, many respondents also feel that AI is not accurate enough or does not really help with their work. As many as 37% of students and 26% of workers admit to avoiding AI for this reason.

Several experts have also previously stated that the use of AI sometimes adds to the workload and causes mental fatigue.

Meanwhile, privacy concerns are almost evenly distributed. As many as 37% of students and workers both cite privacy issues as a reason for avoiding AI.

There are also respondents who feel that AI is too difficult to learn. As many as 6% of students and 8% of workers say they are reluctant to use AI because of this factor.